Steel Fastener Rust

I will polish up the nut or whatever to a chrome like finish then spray it with Rustoleum clear paint. The parts I have done like that are still rust free after 4 years now.

Soak the parts in apple cider vinegar for an hour and then buff with a small tooth brush size wire brush. Amazing results.
Still some rust left? soak again and buff .

jsnorton said:

I will polish up the nut or whatever to a chrome like finish then spray it with Rustoleum clear paint. The parts I have done like that are still rust free after 4 years now.

Click to expand...

I applaud your (and others) efforts to keep appearances presentable; the devil is in the detail.

However.

Any treatment that involves a spray on coating will crack or scratch the first time a wrench is applied. Any treatment that involves applying a liquid rust inhibitor, or some other snake oil, will need to be part of your maintenance routine. The factory cad plating is "correct" but as y'all have noticed doesn't go down the road very far. I must say that the pictures posted to this thread show some real dedication, bravo!

Have any of you noticed that when you look at a motorcycle the smallest rusty fastener will catch your eye and poison the rest of the appearance?

Stainless fasteners are much better value proposition then constantly maintaining the OE fasteners; do a section at a time. I chuck stainless fasteners in my cordless drill, run them on a belt sander (400 grit) then hit them with a session on polisher. It takes about 10 minutes or less and the result is a mirror finish that it slightly convex that will last longer than you will, and NOT need maintenance. Do it once, do it right, go worry about something else?

Best.

Stainless is stainless, all well and good.

OP doesn't want stainless.

Personally (and who really cares what I think) if the condition of the fasteners match the condition of the bike its all looking good to me. I only replace bits that are too far gone to rescue, that said, I replace em with stainless!

on cleaning and detailing nuts and bolts -- i'd like to throw this out. much of what I do, and why I do it is mental therapy. most really isn't necessary, but there are times, more often lately, where I just enjoy my "alone" time in the shop. can't explain it any better, and if I could, most wouldn't understand -

joe czech said:

on cleaning and detailing nuts and bolts -- i'd like to throw this out. much of what I do, and why I do it is mental therapy. most really isn't necessary, but there are times, more often lately, where I just enjoy my "alone" time in the shop. can't explain it any better, and if I could, most wouldn't understand -

Click to expand...

ive used the solder pot tinning method with success.it dulls over time to look like the originals,is thicker,and in general holds up better than cadmium or zinc. its cheap and easy to do and you can do it at home and all you need is a stove to heat the solder cup and some good LIQUID acid flux.i do have a lot of stainless,but that stuff has its limitations in strength. i went through the "stainless steel orgy" on my commando. after hearing a strange rattle i found one of the 5/16', brand new,engine cradle bolts had snapped all on its own.i should have known better,with the exception of certain "AN" aircraft fasteners that are stainless,they should be considered equivalent to sae GRADE 2. their threads should not be cut but ROLLED. that experience caused me to to remove the pretty ss head bolts and replace the originals after the solder tinning method they still look nice but dull 10 years later.i even lead plated the shifting hardware inside the the right outer gear box cover after seeing rust. be warned though that the heat ruins springs

joe czech said:

on cleaning and detailing nuts and bolts -- i'd like to throw this out. much of what I do, and why I do it is mental therapy. most really isn't necessary, but there are times, more often lately, where I just enjoy my "alone" time in the shop. can't explain it any better, and if I could, most wouldn't understand -

Click to expand...

I think everyone here understands exactly what you are saying.

I keep my credit card on file with OldBritts. Ordered fasteners in groups as I went along. More expensive than the hardware store but oem is oem. I don’t think there are any wrong approaches, just preference.

These two products + wirewheeling for the heavy stuff.

joe czech said:

on cleaning and detailing nuts and bolts -- i'd like to throw this out. much of what I do, and why I do it is mental therapy. most really isn't necessary, but there are times, more often lately, where I just enjoy my "alone" time in the shop. can't explain it any better, and if I could, most wouldn't understand -

Click to expand...

+1

Alone time where the only demands you acknowledge are the ones you choose to accept.

Riding and wrenching give you the Yin and yang of motorcycling; great point.

Best.

PVD treatment or 'kanigan' plate. Might do it.

I don't know whether the fasteners on a Commando are cadmium or zinc plated. Zinc fasteners rust much faster than cadmium. However cadmium plating causes more hydrogen embrittlement of high strength fasteners. So if you are replating, you need to make sure the fasteners are baked appropriately after plating. I use round headed cap screws to hold many things on my Seeley, I usually give their heads a squirt with matt black paint rather than having them plated.

I would never put stainless steel on an old motorcycle. Think about why you have got it. Stainless steel is obviously non-genuine. Anybody who knows will spot it immediately. The most valuable old bikes are those which are pristine but have never been restored.
I am not being pedantic when I say a lot of people think they are being clever when they restore an old bike, however they usually stuff it. If I ever go to Phillip Island to see the bikes, the ones I look for are in the car park - a concours bike is very rare. When I see one, it makes me feel very good because I know what they looked like when they were new. - The nostalgia kick. I don't like Velocettes, but a few years ago I saw a perfect Clubmans. It was worth the trip, just to see that.

My friends get a bit funny when I refer to my Seeley 850 as a 'shit-heap'. My problem is, even though it is pretty authentic - it is totally non-genuine. If it was genuine, I would not race it.